I moved from Texas to Oregon because of politics.I won’t regret it

• Jules Rogers moved to Houston in search of a job, but left after disagreeing with local politics.
• She did not support loosening gun laws or restricting women’s medical choices.
• Travel costs, weather conditions and the voting process also contributed to her resignation.

I was born in Houston but grew up in Portland. I grew up and he moved back to Texas in 2018 to take a job at a local newspaper.

Although Houston has a low cost of living and my husband and I both had family nearby, visiting grandma for Christmas wasn’t as fun as it used to be. I had many eye-opening experiences that didn’t match the quality of life I wanted. So I left after about two years.

This is what brought me back to Oregon from Texas.

I noticed an incredible problem in my local school district.

A local parent called my newsroom to tell me that her child’s school district was quarantining students learning English as a second language. By having them study in the building across the street major highways From school.

I thought it was some kind of misunderstanding, but when I called the school district and asked, I found out that the situation described was true. I was shocked. This felt completely unfair. I published the story in the newspaper, but it wasn’t read much.

This wasn’t my first experience as a journalist in a red city, but the story I covered was very different from my work in Oregon, and it tested my ethics.

gun laws have been relaxed

Local legislatures made changes to gun control Second Amendment rights in September 2019, which felt outdated to me.

HB 1143 would allow licensed gun owners to store firearms, handguns, and ammunition in locked vehicles in school campus parking lots. Possession of guns in large religious gathering places such as churches and synagogues is no longer prohibited.

I believe that adding more guns does not make a place safer from gunfire. While other countries are enacting stricter gun control policies, we believe we can do better.

the voting process was outdated

I had voted by mail in Oregon, so it was my first experience voting in person. In Texas, you can only vote by mail if you are over 65, sick or disabled, incarcerated, or meet other criteria.

The white-collar company I worked for gave me a day off to vote, which was considered a perk. I don’t think many shift workers were afforded this luxury.

I physically waited in line for hours. When I finally made it to the front of the room, I was told that I wasn’t allowed to bring in any “materials” — including newspapers containing details of the officials’ campaigns and bills that I’d circled and underlined.

In Portland, you have time to examine each item before filling out the bubble, and you receive text at each processing step. The voting machines I encountered in Houston were dinosaurs and didn’t even accept receipts.

I felt like I had no control over my body.

When I lived there, Texas’ abortion ban was being tightened. Roe v. Wade was subsequently overturned.

It feels to me like Texas treats marijuana as a highly illegal drug compared to Oregon’s decriminalization policy. Many people passionately and evangelically supported abortion bans.

One Saturday night in Texas, I was invited by a city council member to attend a right-to-life dinner. I had no idea what I was getting into.

A talented teenage student delivered a perfectly rehearsed speech about how aborted fetuses and fetuses can become future astronauts, presidents or doctors who cure cancer.

Since she was so young, I wanted to encourage her to be one herself.

Everyone should have the right to protect their body, their boundaries, and their home, but in Texas, I felt exposed to the politics surrounding my right to my own womb.

Pregnant mothers in Texas can be denied treatment if they develop a dangerous condition like sepsis, unless it is “life-threatening.” That means the board will need time to determine the extent of her illness.

Even if you don’t want children, your odds of surviving as a mother in Texas aren’t very good. Everything down to the abortion ban is a big reason why I left Texas, and this is the hill I’m going to die on.

I knew when to leave

The political climate was a big reason why I left Texas, but there were other reasons why I left Texas as well.

I lived in the suburbs of Houston and used the freeway to get around every day. I didn’t like the high cost of transportation, such as toll roads and gasoline costs for commuting.

Extreme weather events such as hurricanes, severe thunderstorms, hail, and smog-polluted air quality also did not match the quality of life I wanted.

I loved Texas radio stations, Tex-Mex, and BBQ, and even though I had more money, I knew when it was time to go. It’s more expensive, but I’m happier in Portland.